It All Started in an Arcade
by Lucie Grace
Summary: A collection of short UM one-shots, all set in the oh-so-famous Crown Arcade. Just some funny and cute moments in the lives of Tsukino Usagi and Chiba Mamoru that I hope will make you giggle and leave you grinning ;D
1. A Good Leader

**1. A Good Leader**

As Mamoru entered the arcade one afternoon, he noticed three things out of place which brought him to conclude that today was a very strange day.

Firstly, Usagi wasn't there.

Secondly, he had somehow managed to unconsciously dump four packets of sugar into his usually black coffee, which was something he only did when he was depressed or disappointed.

And thirdly, when Usagi had finally walked into the arcade, she had not been smiling, but instead looked rather downtrodden. Which was the weirdest of all, because it seemed nothing could ever wipe that annoyingly perky grin from her face. Well, except for Mamoru, of course.

"Hey, Odango! Fail another test?"

But apparently, the 'Odango' didn't hear him, because she continued to mutter to herself as she took her usual stool at the counter.

"I am so sick of Rei telling me to grow up! Did she ever consider that maybe I didn't _want_ to be leader?!" Mamoru grinned and seized his chance.

"_You_? Leader?! Who in their right mind would ever make you leader of anything?" His outburst caused Usagi to finally awake to his presence, but then she immediately hunched back over and grumbled something that sounded like 'tuna'. Mamoru wanted to ask her to repeat her remark, but the next moment, Motoki had popped up from behind the counter and Usagi ordered and paid for her usual hot fudge sundae. When Motoki had retreated into the kitchen once more, Mamoru turned to Usagi again with eyebrows raised.

"So, Odango Atama, what exactly are you the leader _of_, dare I ask?" Usagi seemed to freeze for a moment, but quickly regained her composure and decided to ignore the question.

"And how do you know I'm not a good leader?" Usagi faced Mamoru with a glare. Mamoru, however, was undaunted. He smirked.

"Odango, I'm afraid you couldn't even lead a hungry pack of wolves with a steak in your hand."

"Not funny, baka. Just because you know I don't make good grades you think—"

"You, Odango Atama, probably couldn't even _identify_ the traits of a good leader, much less _act _like one."

"Oh, really?" Usagi deadpanned, looking up at Mamoru with her face impassive, "Like who?"

He wasn't sure what made him say it, but for some strange reason the determined look Usagi gave him at that moment reminded him distinctly (and disturbingly) of another blonde teen, poised in her blue fuku to destroy a youma.

"Sailor Moon." Usagi dropped her spoon into the ice cream Motoki had just brought her.

"S-Sailor Moon?"

"Yeah. I mean, she's brave, and she may not always seem to know what she's doing, but when her friends are in trouble, she does everything to protect their lives before her own." Mamoru's eyes stared intently into his sugar-filled coffee. He suddenly brought his fist down hard on the counter, startling Usagi.

"And what annoys me most is that I know the other senshi don't give her enough credit. Especially Mars. She's always yelling at Sailor Moon about being too slow or too lazy or too scared."

Mamoru then fell silent, and it was a few moments later when he finally came out of his reverie. He turned back to Usagi to notice that she had finished her sundae and was rising from her seat to leave and that her face seemed to have turned a pale pink.

"Well, Mamoru, I guess you're right. Sailor Moon is most definitely a better leader than I will ever be. See you." She turned, smiling, and skipped back out the double doors.

Mamoru blinked, confused. Usagi had just insulted herself, agreed with him, and then smiled about it.

Yep, it definitely was a weird day.


	2. Must Be

**2. 'Must Be,'**

Naru sat sipping on a vanilla shake as Usagi slurped down her usual chocolate one.

"You know," Naru began, gazing at the poster of 'Sailor V!' behind the counter, "I have always wondered about Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon." Usagi straightened up in her seat and swallowed a large mouthful of milkshake.

"Wh—what about, Naru-chan?"

"Well, you know how whenever she's in trouble, he comes to save her?" Naru looked back at her glass and sighed contentedly. "They must be in love or something." Usagi blushed scarlet and an embarrassed smile played at the corners of her lips.

"Must be," she said quietly.

Neither noticed, however, the smiling and flushed features of a dark-haired young man sitting a few feet away.

"Definitely must be," he said softly to himself, redirecting his attention back to his cup of coffee.


	3. Tutoring

**3. Tutoring**

Usagi let out a sigh as she watched for the thirty-sixth time as Mamoru again inserted a token and replaced his hand upon the joystick, biting his tongue in concentration while his eyes followed the progress of the little man in a tuxedo.

"Aren't you ever going to give up, Mamoru-baka?" she said finally as she rose from her seat in a nearby booth.

"Only when you pass an English test," he responded with an air of lofty indifference which only Chiba Mamoru could achieve.

Usagi folded her arms with a scowl and bit her lip for a moment, seeming to fight an internal battle of sorts. Finally she exhaled slowly and spoke in a resigned voice.

"Teach me."

"Nani?" Usagi tapped her foot impatiently as though he was being indignant.

"Teach me English. You _are_ good at it, aren't you?" Mamoru's expression turned instantly from confusion to disbelief.

"Teach you English?" He repeated quizzically.

"_Hai_," Usagi said, staring him directly in the eye. She waited for a moment, but Mamoru simply stood with his mouth half open. Apparently a one-word answer would not suffice.

"Look," she sighed, "If I can get a good mark for a change, Mama will stop nagging me, and if you _promise _to stop spending your med school money on that stupid doll if I pass an English test, well then…it's worth being tutored by _you_."

Mamoru, at some point during this speech, had closed his mouth and now appeared to be scrutinizing Usagi, as if he didn't believe her. But after a moment, however, he seemed unable to disprove her sincerity, and spoke.

"Okay," he said simply, and he relinquished his grip and returned his hand to his jacket pocket.


	4. Bubbles

**4. Bubbles**

Mamoru tried to focus, but the noise was unbearable. Would the insufferable girl ever realize that he was trying to write a very important paper that could decide if he got into medical school?!

He picked his pen up again, pausing to concentrate.

"_The cerebral cortex..._"

_**Blub. Blub. Blub.**_

Each one seemed to reverberate inside his head, and he could bear it no longer. Mamoru slammed his pen down and turned to his left, fuming.

She stared back, confused.

He gestured to her glass.

"Do you _have_ to do that?"

The girl smiled suddenly, comprehension lighting in her bright blue eyes.

"Yes," she said presently, and returned happily to her straw.

Mamoru grabbed his notebook in frustration and made to leave. But as he walked out the door, he couldn't help but smile foolishly.

"_Only Odango," _he thought privately, "_would still blow bubbles in her chocolate milk."_


	5. Gifts

**5. Gifts**

Mamoru walked into the arcade, absent-mindedly removing a coin from his jacket pocket. But just as he raised his hand to drop it into the slot, a voice rang out from beside him.

"At it again, Mamoru-baka? I thought we had a deal."

"Odango Atama." Mamoru narrowed his eyes at the blond girl who stood with her arms crossed in defiance. "We did. But I think it a safe assumption to say that you have nothing to show me?"

The girl's face fell and her cheeks went pink in slight embarrassment while she glanced down at a piece of gum on the floor, picking at it with the tip of her shoe.

"Well I—I don't have it." She fell silent and tears glistened in her eyes.

"Ahh, well, it seems our Odango didn't keep her half of the bargain—which means I am no longer obligated to keep mine." He dropped the coin into the machine.

Usagi's arms fell back to her sides, fists trembling.

"I did do it, baka, whether you believe me or not!"

And with that, she grabbed her bag and bolted out the glass doors.

Motoki walked out from behind the counter, scratching his head in confusion.

"What was that about?"

"Just a little bet the Odango and I had—but it seems I won." Mamoru smirked and turned back to the case full of little stuffed dolls, biting his lip in concentration. But as the claw began to move, he noticed something.

_It wasn't there._

So instead he dropped the claw on a chibi Sailor Moon and relinquished his grip from the joystick as a thud echoed from the machine. Slightly disappointed that his initial target was gone, he bent down and placed his hand in the slot. But when he withdrew it, he grasped not only a Sailor Moon, but also a miniature Tuxedo Kamen. Staring, puzzled, a moment passed before he noticed a folded piece of paper stuck in its arms.

He unfurled the paper to reveal a large mark in red ink circled at the top of the paper.

_92_

And next to it, scribbled in pencil,

_Tsukino Usagi_

Mamoru smiled as he slipped the two dolls and the piece of paper into his school bag.

_It looked like he wouldn't need that extra change in his pocket anymore._


	6. Daydream

**6. Daydream**

Mamoru kicked a large rock with his foot as he waited against the side of a building. It was getting rather late, even for the dismissal of detention. After a few more minutes, however, his eyes narrowed at the point he had been watching intently and he smirked as the blond odangoed girl turned the corner and came into view. As usual, she wasn't paying any attention to where she was going—Mamoru had always wondered how she even managed to get there _at all_—but today it was for a different reason. She wasn't giggling loudly with a friend or skipping carelessly; instead, she was dragging her feet along slowly. He wondered what had upset her.

As she approached his position against the brick wall, he noticed that her slow progression today was not due to depression, but rather inattention. She was merely staring, staring straight ahead of her with her eyes slightly glossed over as though she had gone to sleep and forgotten to close her eyelids. She didn't even notice when he called her name (which bothered him slightly) and he considered sticking out his foot to trip her (not that he hadn't done it before), but in the next moment realized that would be unnecessary. His reflexes sharp from their training as Tuxedo Kamen, he grabbed her just as her foot slipped on the rock and she began to fall.

For a moment, she looked up at him with a strangely bemused expression on her face and her cheeks pinkened slightly in a blush, but the next moment her mind seemed to snap back to consciousness so that she realized whose face was looking down at her.

"Baka! Let go of me!"

"Hold it there, Odango," Mamoru said, smirking as he righted her. "I just saved you from falling over. A simple thank-you would suffice."

Usagi glared at him for a moment, but then lowered her gaze and murmured "Arigato," quietly, avoiding his eyes. She seemed to have a sixth sense in that she could always tell when they were laughing at her.

Then, in a sudden rage at herself for her courtesy, she turned and continued down the sidewalk angrily. He smirked and watched her figure disappear down the street, managing to catch her few words as she retreated.

"Not Tuxedo Kamen," he heard her mutter bitterly to herself, "more like a youma…"

_You have no idea, Odango. No idea._


	7. Fairytales

**7. Fairytales**

"Snow White's the prettiest and she has a good voice," Naru said, her eyes alight with sparks, "I would definitely want to be her if _I _was a princess." She giggled before turning to her friend. "What about you, Usagi-chan?"

"Hmm, I dunno," Usagi said thoughtfully, pursing her lips and looking up at the tiles on the ceiling, "I think I would rather be some princess who gets to do the saving, you know?" She was about to elaborate, but unfortunately never got the chance.

"Don't tell me you still believe in fairy tales, Odango Atama," a new voice drawled, and the 'Odango' turned around in fury.

"Why you—" But Mamoru continued, ignoring her protests.

"Though, of course, I wouldn't be surprised. But really, Odango, how can you hope to be a princess who saves _anyone _when you have neither crown nor coordination?"

"Humph," Usagi said, crossing her arms with a scowl, "I definitely _could_ save everyone, just so long as _you_ weren't my prince!"

"No need to worry, Odango, I don't dream about dumb fantasies anymore. I won't be invading your dreams anytime soon."

Mamoru smirked and turned to leave, but as he walked back out the glass doors, he tried unsuccessfully to tune out the guilty voice in his head.

"'Don't dream about fantasies anymore'?" it asked quietly, "What about Princesses?"


	8. Sailor V

**8. Sailor V**

Motoki and Mamoru watched as a blond odangoed girl tapped her foot impatiently behind a boy playing a videogame entitled 'Sailor V'.

"No, no, no," Usagi said loudly, "You're doing it _all wrong_." She elbowed the boy in the rips and forced him aside so she could take his seat. The boy hesitated for a moment, but saw the glint in her eyes and decided it was best not to argue. She immediately grabbed the controller and began to demonstrate.

"You see, you have to use her love-me-chain _first_, and _then_ her tiara to finish it off. As Usagi continued to instruct the scared and annoyed boy, Motoki turned back to Mamoru in slight surprise.

"Wow, she really does play that game a lot, doesn't she?" Mamoru was still looking at the girl across the room, lost in thought. Finally he spoke.

"Well Motoki, you know, I have to give it to the Odango; she _is _right for a change. The tiara always has to come last to finish off the youma. That other kid really wasn't doing it properly." Motoki gave Mamoru a quizzical look, but Mamoru just continued to stare. Finally, Motoki shook his head silently and disappeared back behind the counter.

Sometimes he felt like there was some strange, inexplicable connection between the two that he would never be able to understand.


	9. Athlete

Admittedly this one came from a slightly sadder inspiration, because unfortunately, I have Usagi's athletic talent. I love to play softball, but I only got on my school's varsity team because they have so few players that they don't cut anyone. Our school requires us to play two seasons of sports, otherwise I would be too embarrassed to play. The problem is that I love my teammates and my coaches, so I feel bad a lot because I feel I'm always letting them down when I'm constantly messing up. I wrote this one afternoon after a particularly bad practice to cheer myself up. Hope you like.

**9. Athlete**

Usagi would willingly admit to anyone that she wasn't an athlete. It wasn't exactly hard to hide. She didn't play sports because she was too clumsy and she was always tripping and falling or running into someone (and usually the _same_ accursed someone, too).

But Usagi did manage to succeed in pursuing one sport; only it wasn't one she would ever admit to playing. It required accuracy and precision timing, two things which originally happened out of pure accident, but which Usagi subsequently practiced with intention. And oddly enough, despite her severe lack of coordination, it seemed there must have been some stronger force of providence that willed her to succeed, because she managed to hit every target.

Usagi took one last peek at the red mark, and then sighed. It wasn't even that bad. Mama would have been satisfied, actually. But this was somehow more important, although she couldn't explain why. And it was amusing.

Yes, _very_ amusing.

And she crumpled it up, turning around backwards and taking aim. He was slightly to the left, so she would have to release a little to her right. She took a deep breath, and then tossed the ball of paper over her head.

_Tap_.

"ODANGO!"

Score.


	10. New Year's Resolution

Really briefly I just want to give everyone a gigantic THANK YOU! for all the wonderful reviews. Oh, and Ala Verity, just so you know, I have no problem with spamming. Especially _your_ kind of spamming. What's wrong with spam? (Holds up can of spam and hugs it) I love spam!

But anyway, the reviews are very, very much appreciated you guys. Thanks.

**10. New Year's Resolution**

"Mamoru-ba—"

Usagi caught herself just in time. She had been about to start wailing one of her usual insults, but then she had remembered. She had made herself a promise, and she would keep it.

At least for the time being.

Mamoru watched in curiosity as several expressions passed over the young girl's face. First anger, then shock, finally resignement. What was with the Odango today?

"Mamoru-san," Usagi stated plainly, bowing, dropping her original insult, and substituting it for a small nod. Then she quickly redirected her attention as she turned on her heel to follow her four friends. But Mamoru caught her upper arm, and Usagi inhaled sharply at the sensation that shot through her at his strong grip. In the next moment, however, she was able to stable herself, and she bravely faced her dark-haired nemesis.

"Nani?" she asked, looking him directly in the eye. All those youma battles had taught her how to face others with confidence even when she didn't feel like it, with some added encouragement from Tuxedo Kamen.

Mamoru was slightly taken aback by her look; it was sharp and penetrating, something he would never have expected of the Odango. Just months ago she would have avoided his eyes and run off crying, but now something was different. Something had changed her, given her courage and solemnity. It irked him that he didn't know from where that source of courage had come.

"Hai?" Usagi said again, sighing. "Mamoru-san?"

"Did—did you really just call me 'Mamoru-san'? You're…you're not going to insult me or anything?" He raised his eyebrows and his face broke into a grin. Surely she would respond now.

"Not today. I have better uses of my time." Mamoru's smirk faltered slightly.

"Well, Odango, we _are_ rather serious today. Why aren't you bugging me like usual?" Usagi looked up again, realizing she wouldn't be able to leave the Arcade until she explained. She sighed.

"It's January," she said.

"January…?" Mamoru was lost.

"Yes, _January_," Usagi said with emphasis, "the time for New Year's Resolutions. Well, I made one that I…that I wouldn't say anything mean to anyone for a whole month. And at first I thought it would be easy because I would just avoid Shingo, but then…then I remembered _you_. So congrats, Mamoru-san, you now have a whole month in which to torment me." She turned, pulling her arm from his grasp, and leaving Mamoru watching in astonishment.

Outside, Usagi shook herself mentally. She realized this was going to be harder than she had thought. He had a way of rattling her senses that no one else did. But she refused to admit to herself the truth that she wasn't shaken half so much by her fury as by the warm spot on her skin where goose bumps had shot up her upper arm.


	11. Fate

**11. Fate**

Two silhouettes stood in the receding daylight; the sun was setting on the distant horizon. One was tall, the other tiny, and even though they did not touch; their figures seemed bent slightly as though aching to do so. Their black shadows cast an eerie, almost mystical aura about them, as though time for them did not exist as it did for others. Their fate was inexplicably intertwined in both a fantastical and perilous way; as were their souls.

They had met many an evening before, and yet they still seemed incapable of understanding for themselves just how cosmic their meetings were. It was always the same routine; she would make a careless error, and then he would appear out of nowhere just in time. They felt a magnetic pull toward one another, yes, but they could not begin to sense the magnitude of the destiny that providence held in store.

The two figures remained frozen in space and time for a long moment; their bodies mere inches from one another, each pair of eyes locked into the others. The man finally slowly extended a hand toward the girl in a gesture that looked as though he might embrace her. He spoke.

"I don't suppose you'll be wanting your shoe back, eh, Odango?" The girl snatched the shoe from his grasp with a loud scoff.

"Why do you have to be so mean all the time?!" she wailed loudly.

"Why do you have to lose your shoes, Odango?" He was smirking.

"Why do you always have to be where my shoe lands?!"

"Well maybe if you actually were on time for once…"

"Urgh!" The girl slipped the shoe back over her foot and turned sharply on her heel, fuming

The girl's dark silhouette shown with dejection, as if in disappointment yet again. The man watched her retreat into the distance, furious with himself for letting her go.


	12. Valentine

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! I just wanted to briefly mention that the inspiration for this drabble actually came from a similar thing I did to a teacher recently (but of course, not in a romantic way—that would be just _weird_, on so many levels…), and later thought about it and realized it might make a good/funny drabble. So…voilà! Hope you like.

**12. Valentine**

Usagi crept quickly away from the counter and slipped out the door, just managing to turn the corner before he saw her.

Mamoru entered the arcade with his back aching from the books in his bag, and his face taught in a grimace. The day had been bad enough, in addition to it being Valentine's Day. He _hated_ Valentine's Day.

It wasn't the fact that everything seemed to be covered in pink and red and smothered in chocolate, or that roses were everywhere—actually he loved roses, he just refused to admit it—or any of that fluffy pink stuff that usually makes guys sick. No, Mamoru hated Valentine's Day out of loneliness.

Being a kid who had grown up in an orphanage without any recollection of his past prior to his stay there, Mamoru had always been relatively lonely. Lonely because of his lack of family, lonely because of his lack of friends (no one at the orphanage was very hospitable), and lonely, most of all, because of his lack of happy memories. He had been so glad to get out of there.

So Valentine's Day infuriated Mamoru because it was actually _saddening_; it seemed to hi-light his inner solitude, something he would have much rather ignored.

Mamoru's mind wandered to the front pocket of his bag, registering the contents there for a moment, and then almost began to reach for it but then he quickly forced himself out of his sad reverie. Not here. Not now. He would pull it out and look at it later when he got home.

Mamoru sat down at the counter and waved blandly to Motoki as he approached.

"Something wrong, Mamoru-san?"

Mamoru shook his head quietly.

"Could you just get me the usual, Motoki-san?" Mamoru hoped Motoki would take the hint and leave him alone. But Motoki wasn't done.

"Perhaps it's only a bad day because you want it to be," Motoki suggested kindly, "because you don't want to admit that Valentine's Day makes you feel…" Mamoru glared at Motoki and this time Motoki took the hint and put up his hands in surrender. As Motoki went back into the kitchen, Mamoru sighed and opened his book bag. Mamoru had lots of work to do and he didn't want to listen to Motoki (who sounded oddly like his conscience today) anymore.

As Mamoru began to scribble answers to his chemistry assignment, Motoki set down a cup of coffee in front of Mamoru silently. When Mamoru looked over to pick it up, he noticed something black and red protruding from the underside of the saucer. Sliding the coffee aside, the saucer revealed a man in a caped tuxedo holding a girl in a blue fuku in his arms as though he had just pulled her out of harm's way. It was most obviously a manga Valentine's card, and it read, "_Thanks for always catching me when I fall, Valentine!_"

Un-amused and yet perplexed at Motoki's antics, Mamoru turned the card over and found a short memo scribbled on the back. Noting first that there was, oddly enough, no kanji, comprehension dawned on him as he began to read.

_Mamoru-baka,_

_Shingo was signing valentines for his class last night, and I saw this one and for some sick reason, it reminded me of you. And then I figured that you're probably so hated by everyone that you won't get any valentines anyway, so I gave this to Motoki to give to you when you come in for your nasty black coffee. Hope you choke on it. Happy Valentine's Day._

_-Usagi_

By the time he had finished reading it for the second time, Mamoru realized that he was actually grinning, and he quickly removed the valentine from the table, placing it in the outside pocket of his bag, next to his only photograph of his parents. Perhaps Valentine's Day wasn't such a bad holiday after all.


	13. Lost Usagi

**13. Lost Usagi**

"Usagi-chan, don't worry," Ami said with a pat to her friend's back, "I'm sure we'll see him again soon."

"But Ami-chan, we haven't seen him for weeks! Something terrible must have happened to him! What if a youma—"

"Missing someone?" Mamoru said, unable to contain his curiosity. He slid into the booth next to Usagi.

"Erm," Usagi seemed caught off-guard and leaned away in apprehension. Undoubtedly it was something embarrassing. Excellent.

"Just—just a friend of mine."

"Oh really," Mamoru said, raising an eyebrow, "who?"

Neither Usagi nor Ami said anything.

"Oh come on, Odango, maybe I know where to find them."

"Well, Mamoru-baka, I seriously doubt you would know where to find _this_ particular friend of mine…"

"You never know…" Mamoru wasn't one for giving up.

Usagi squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and Mamoru could practically hear the voice in her head:

_I am __so__ going to regret this._

"My bunny. You know, my stuffed Usagi. Like my name."

Usagi was watching a spot on the table, ready for his laughter. But it didn't come. How could Mamoru laugh about Usagi's habits when she was so clearly ashamed? He _did_ have a conscience you know.

"Gomen," he said instead, "But why do you need him so badly? You're older now; you have all your friends."

Usagi, in the meantime, had raised her eyes slowly; unable to believe the sudden change in her #1 nemesis. She had a puzzled look on her face, and she wondered if she was looking at an alter-ego Mamoru.

"Well," she began uncertainly, "My friends are the best, but he's important to me in a way they can't be. He was with me before they came along and I guess he just holds a special place in my heart. When he's lost, _I _feel lost too." She paused, and her gaze began to wander with her mind.

"And," she said without thinking, "he protects me from the youmas."

"I see," Mamoru said politely, "well, keep your eyes open. Maybe you just need to wait and let _him_ find _you_. Ja ne."

Mamoru gave a short nod to the girls and then rose and left.

"Good job Usagi-chan," Ami said smiling, "that was brilliant! He had no idea we were talking about Tuxedo Kamen!"

But Usagi didn't hear her friend. She was still gazing intently at the spot where he had left her sight, for even long after he had gone she still couldn't figure out if she had described her dear bunny or her masked hero.


	14. The Other Side of Things

**14. The Other Side of Things**

Mamoru watched as Usagi fidgeted anxiously in her nearby seat. It was so annoying, but at the moment he couldn't bring himself to tell her off, not when he would very much like to do the same. He felt just as much on edge as she.

In the last weeks his dreams had become more and more disturbed with images of an injured and dying Sailor Moon, but his Princess faded further from them with each passing night. And he thought he knew why.

Sailor Moon seemed to have taken her place in his mind, for he often found himself more worried about her safety than about finding the Princess. His guilt pained him whenever he thought of the short-skirted heroine; he felt he had compromised his mission. Thus he had decided to stop coming to Sailor Moon's rescue. Now whenever he felt her pull transforming him into Tuxedo Kamen, he resisted. It wasn't easy, though. He still felt the same pangs in his chest when she was narrowly missed by youmas, and once he had felt a pain so excruciating that he was almost sure she had been hurt badly.

It seemed though, that the longer he avoided her, the more he could worry about nothing else. The Princess remained as distant as ever, and the only thing that seemed to have changed was the ferocity of his connection to Sailor Moon.

Mamoru took a sip of his coffee as he continued to watch the little blond Odango. She was indeed extremely upset today, as she had been for several weeks now. That stuffed rabbit of her must have meant more to her than he had thought. Even her appetite had changed—for she sat for the first time with nothing but a glass of water on the table in front of her.

_Maybe he had given her poor advice_, he thought, because neither he nor she had found what they had lost.

Apparently waiting just didn't work.

The Princess had done nothing but disappear completely since his resolution not to aid Sailor Moon, and he felt betrayed. _Betrayed_, he thought, just as he was sure Sailor Moon must feel too at that very moment.

Mamoru swallowed and set his empty coffee cup back on its saucer resolutely with a final glance at the girl across the room.

Maybe it was time for Tuxedo Kamen to return to Sailor Moon.


	15. Found

**15. Found**

After a couple of weeks of worry, Usagi had grown quite edgy. There had been eight attacks over a series of several weeks, but he had never come. Usagi had had some close shaves and even once half-purposely had klutzed out, hoping he would appear to save her but then Minako had jumped in at the last second and pulled Usagi to safety.

It seemed as if Usagi would snap at any moment from her anxiety, and only her four loyal friends knew the real reason why, although they were powerless to help. Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako sympathized with Usagi and had tried to cheer their friend, but even Makoto's world-famous cookies had failed to lift her spirits.

So the four friends had finally given up and decided that all they could do was let Usagi's disposition run its course—or hope that Tuxedo Kamen would rejoin them soon.

Usagi finally finished her glass of water (she hadn't been hungry for days now), and dug into the pockets of her uniform, feeling for loose change.

Aha. It wasn't much, but it would do for a couple of rounds at Sailor V. Maybe her favorite video game would take her mind off things.

She passed her money to Motoki he handed her a couple of tokens in exchange. She walked over to the far corner, deposited her two tokens, grabbed the joystick, and began to fire at the youmas forcefully. Usagi normally couldn't multi-task, but she had learned how to quite well in the last weeks. Her mind wandered constantly to Tuxedo Kamen everywhere she went, but then she would think inexplicably of Mamoru's advice. Part of her said that Tuxedo Kamen was in danger, or hurt, or worse; Mamoru-the-baka be damned, but another part couldn't quite write him off so easily, not when he had really been—Usagi was certain—genuine.

Usagi's hand slipped with her thoughts and Sailor V was hit in the stomach by a youma's fireball. Game over.

Crap.

Usagi stretched the fingers in her right hand as she got up, but then stopped when she heard something fall to the floor behind her. Apparently she had been so lost in thought she had failed to realize that she had sat on some little kid's stuffed doll.

She picked it up off the floor, turning it over slowly in her hand until her fingers came to rest on the note pinned to the front of its tuxedo. It held a real tiny rosebud in its palm as though offering it to her with its message:

"_To protect you from the youmas._"


	16. Sweetner

**16. Sweetener**

Mamoru sipped on his coffee as he strained to hear the five girls behind him. Well, really, he was only straining to hear _one_ of the five, but they were all inseparable, so…

The dark-haired one whispered something excitedly across the table, and then they all burst out laughing as the blond odangoed girl stood up. She looked back down at her dark-haired friend.

"Promise, Rei-chan?"

Rei was still laughing and it took her a second to get the words out.

"I promise, Usagi."

Usagi cleared her throat as she stepped up behind him.

"Mamoru-ba—err, Mamoru-san?" Usagi said uncertainly.

Mamoru swiveled around in his chair to face her, eyebrows raised curiously in response.

"Yes, Odango?"

"Don't call me—oh never mind. Look, I'm going to say 'Gomen' and explain that I'm only going to do what I'm about to do because Rei-chan _swore_ that if I did she'd let me read her manga this week as much as I want." Mamoru cocked his head slightly, confused, as Usagi hesitated.

But then she sighed and leaned in, and in that split second, Mamoru's eyes widened in comprehension. Her lips loomed closer and he tried (without success) to slow his racing heart. He should _not_ be excited about this, there was no excuse—

Usagi lifted the cup off its saucer to her lips, and took a loud sip.

"_Ugh_," Usagi sputtered as she choked, "That's _disgusting_! No wonder you're so bitter, Mamoru-baka! Here," she said, tossing a white packet at him as she retreated, "try it sometime."

Mamoru, in the meantime, had breathed a huge sigh of relief as she turned back to her friends, their laughter louder than ever. He had even joined in by the time Usagi had grabbed her milkshake and started slurping it down.

"It's an _acquired_, taste, Odango," he said, grinning, before picking up his coffee cup again and taking a sip.

At first he was a little shocked that it tasted so different (but then again, now it was contaminated with Usagi's sugary saliva, after all) but he was more shocked that, upon reflection, it tasted quite _nice_.

So he paused for a second, contemplating, before picking up the little white package in front of him, tearing it open, and emptying it into his cup.

Perhaps Usagi, for a change, was right—maybe he did need a little sweetener in his life.


	17. Addiction

I know it's a lot like the last one, but after I wrote it, I just liked it too much to toss it. So....take 17!

**17. Addiction**

"But _Motoki-onii-san_," Usagi pleaded, wailing, "I _need _my milkshake today! Haruna-sensei was feeling really mean and made me do _double_ detention!"

"Gomen, gomen," said Motoki apologetically, "but I'm totally out of ice cream. Our shipload of food just didn't get here today. Are you sure there's nothing else you're hungry for?"

"Well of course there's _something_ she's hungry for, Motoki," smirked a certain dark-haired man beside her, "the Odango is _always_ hungry."

"Shut-up, Mamoru-baka."

"Ohh, not very friendly today, I see. But I suppose that's just the withdrawal talking. It's a necessary stage in overcoming an addiction." He smirked again. "Tell me, Odango, when was the last time you went an entire day without sugar?"

"Go away, Mamoru," Usagi huffed. "On second thought, Motoki, I think I'll just head home. It's late anyway." She picked up her bag and coat and left, pausing only long enough to scowl at her nemesis.

"Ahh, but Mamoru," said Motoki suspiciously as he watched two long strands of blond hair disappear outside, "when was the last time you went an entire day without _Usagi_?"

"Go away, Motoki."


	18. Humming

Points and a reward (maybe?) go to the first reviewer to guess the tune...Ahh, yes, incentive for reviews ;)

**18. Humming**

Usagi would have to admit that his humming surprised her a bit, but she wasn't about to comment. Seeing Mamoru do something so very _cheerful _was so rare that she actually couldn't bring herself to ruin it by pointing it out to him.

So instead she just sat down, joining in unconsciously. Mamoru jumped and quickly shoved something back into his bag. Usagi raised an eyebrow and wondered privately whether all that disgusting coffee had made him a bit too jumpy.

And now he was looking at her with a surprised expression. Probably just trying to get a rise out of her. Well, she wasn't about to fall for it. Usagi stared forward and her voice got intentionally louder.

A few minutes and a milkshake later, Usagi glanced over at him again, and was taken aback that he was still looking at her as if she had sprouted a couple of youma heads. She suddenly realized that he wasn't just trying to get a rise out of her—he was legitimately _surprised_.

"Where have you heard that tune before, Odango?" Usagi shrugged.

"I dunno. Don't remember." She continued to hum. But Mamoru pressed on.

"No, but do you know what it's called? Or where it's _from_?" Usagi paused, thinking.

"No. What, am I really expected to remember every song I've ever heard??"

Deciding that all that studying had finally gone to the baka's head, Usagi emptied her glass in one gulp, hopped up from her chair, and shouted a goodbye to Motoki, all the while continuing to hum. It was only when she got outside that her voice slowed, and Usagi simultaneously stopped in her tracks in bewilderment. In the several minutes she had been humming, never once had she really stopped to consciously think about it. And now that she did, realization hit her.

Maybe Mamoru wasn't just crazy, because she didn't recognize the tune at all.


	19. Agreed

***Gold stars*** to tonieboo0013, Bunnigirl07, Kitkino86, and merangelgal for correct answers on the last one! Yes, the tune was from the star locket. Good job, you four! (bows) I take my hat off to you. :)

**19. Agreed**

Mamoru gave Motoki a dirty look when he glanced up from the newspaper.

"This is supposed to be _funny_?! It's pathetic. They did it all wrong—see, look, the cartoonist drew Sailor Moon taller than everyone else, and she doesn't just fall over for no good reason, she's usually been drained of energy after using her crescent moon wand—but, oh, I see they failed to include that as well…"

Meanwhile, Usagi had been waiting impatiently for her milkshake, and heard Motoki and Mamoru arguing over a newspaper across the room. Curious as to why Mamoru was shouting at his best friend, (he usually reserved that particular form of conversation for her), she slipped out from her booth and strode over to Mamoru's table. When neither acknowledged her presence, she leaned over to look at the newspaper herself, and after a moment's glance, declared angrily,

"This is all wrong! Tuxedo Kamen-sama's roses _aren't_ pathetic—they have steel tips in them! And he doesn't pick up Sailor Moon by the _armpits_; he grabs her around her waist! Sheesh! Who wrote this crap?"

"Well," Motoki said exasperatedly with a slightly-surprised look, "there you go. Finally something you two agree on. I'm going back to my shift, so _play nice_." Motoki turned and walked back behind the counter, leaving a very confused Mamoru and Usagi to stare at the grossly-inaccurate political cartoon which smiled stupidly up at them.


	20. Distractions

**20. Distractions**

"No. Way. There's a _what_, next door??"

"Hai, Odango, it's called a _library_."

Usagi stared blankly at the wall. Mamoru laughed. "Why are you so surprised?"

"I still don't believe you," Usagi closed her eyes shook her head slowly.

"Really, you should trying going in there sometime. Maybe you'd stop failing tests." Usagi stuck out her tongue at her nemesis.

"Why don't YOU go study in there, Mamoru-baka, so you can stop complaining about me making noise in HERE?!"

Mamoru opened his mouth for a retort, but before he could form his words, a sudden faint beeping interrupted him.

"What is that?"

Usagi's face froze awkwardly, and she immediately jumped up from her chair.

"I have to go; see you later, Mamoru-baka!"

And she was out the door and around the corner.

Mamoru followed her out slowly, just as he felt a tug in his chest. Placing a hand inside his jacket, he pulled from it a red rose, and said softly, to no one in particular,

"I like distractions."


	21. Binoculars

**21. Binoculars**

Usagi silently shifted her weight from one foot to the other, trying to keep them from falling asleep. She had been standing precariously in the corner on her stacked schoolbooks (I mean, what else could they possibly be good for?) for the last hour and was no closer to finding the thing for which she was examining the Crown so intently. She lifted her feet so that she was standing on tip-toe again and peeked over the edge of the farthest corner booth.

Nope…nope….nuh-uh……..no, those weren't his either…

Usagi sighed. Maybe this idea really was as stupid as Rei had claimed it was.

Usagi tried quietly to re-do the math again in her head. So Rei-chan had said there were approximately eight thousand people in Tokyo….or was it eight million? But only half of those would be men, so that narrowed it down a bit. And there were like 15 guys in the arcade, so the chances of finding that one pair of eyes were good, right??

Usagi shook her head and turned back to her task at hand, leaning forward for a better look. However difficult it might be, it was her best plan at the moment. Tuxedo Kamen's mask certainly did its job well.

As if thinking about him stirred some kind of good karma, at that moment, Usagi's gaze came to rest of two ocean blue eyes, and her heart skipped a beat.

…And then she toppled over with a crash.

Busted. Operation Tuxedo-Kamen-Identity-Initiative officially _over_.

And the worst part?

She didn't even get the chance to look at the guy's face.

"Odango!" Mamoru's voice rang out and Usagi heard footsteps.

"Diajoubu?"

"H-Hai," Usagi sat up and grimaced.

"What the heck were you _doing_?" Mamoru half-laughed.

"That is none of your business."

"Unfortunately for me, Odango Atama, if you're doing something uncoordinated, it tends to _become_ my business."

"Humph!"

"But seriously, what's with the binoculars, hmm?" Usagi crossed her arms nonchalantly.

"I'm looking for someone."

"_Looking for someone_," he drawled, "Don't you already have two eyes for that? Well, maybe not. If you had two eyes, you might actually look where you were going."

Usagi's hands clenched into fists at her sides.

"Arrrghhh! Why can't you just leave me _ALONE?!?!_"

"Because evidently even when I _do _leave you alone, you still manage fall over on the floor."

Usagi folded her arms over her chest.

"Just go away please,"

"Not until you tell me what you're up to."

Usagi glared. Mamoru quirked an eyebrow. Thirty seconds passed in silence, before—

"Urghhh!—I'm trying to find a particular set of eyes."

"And the reason for that would be…"

"I don't know what the rest of his face looks like."

"And you don't know what his face looks like because…"

"Because I've only ever seen him in a mask."

"And, gliding over the fact that that seems a bit abnormal, why do you need to know what he looks like?"

"To thank him,"

"To thank him?"

"For saving me."

"Uh-huh."

"Hai." Usagi smiled her bright grin and Mamoru looked at her with a dubious expression halfway between wondering if her imagination had finally gone too far, and deciding that she really was telling the truth.

"Mamoru-baka?"

"Nani?"

"Can you please move now? I can't see across the room."

"Oh. Right." Mamoru turned away as Usagi scrambled into her former position, pulling the binoculars back up to her face. Mamoru took a few steps, before looking at her one more time as he exited the Crown.

"Well, Odango," he said to himself, scratching his head, "I hope he's as ecstatic to meet you are you are to meet him."


	22. Someone Else

**22. Someone Else**

Mamoru had been straining his ears (unsuccessfully) to listen for almost an hour. The five girls in the back had been whispering heatedly about something, and it made him curious. Actually, anything that involved Usagi made him curious. Mamoru leaned back further in his chair, trying to catch their words. He soon discovered, however, that his hearing problem was not to last.

"USAGI! AREN'T YOU EVER GOING TO LISTEN?! _WE. CAN'T. TRUST. HIM._ GET OVER IT ALREADY!"

"BUT REI-CHAN! I KNOW HE'S ON OUR SIDE, REALLY! HE HAS TO BE!"

"JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH HIM, USAGI—"

"YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS, REI!"

Rei suddenly became silent. Mamoru's eyes were wide, and he gently turned his head so he could see.

"No, I'm not." She looked up determinedly into Usagi's eyes, her voice cracking as tears swam in her own.

"I—I was, but I'm not anymore. I've seen the way he looks at you. And the way you look at him. And I'm not going to try to compete with it. Not anymore."

Usagi's eyebrows furrowed and she looked back sadly at her friend.

"Rei-chan—"

"But Usagi, don't you see?!? That's exactly why all of us are so worried! You tend to trust your heart rather than your head—and we don't want to lose you!"

The table suddenly became silent, and for once Usagi was left speechless.

Mamoru turned back around slowly, swallowing hard. Usagi was in love with someone—someone…else…

Unable to sit still any longer, Mamoru got up stiffly, replaced his book in his bag, dropped several yen on the counter, and left. Unfortunately, in his haste, he had been unable to catch the whisper which broke their silence.

"But—I love Mamoru…"


	23. Nap

With this one, I wanted, for a change, to get the chance to wipe Mamoru's dumb smirk off his face. Honestly, I get tired of him teasing Usagi myself, even with the knowledge that he's totally in love with her. Okay, here we go…

**23. Nap**

Mamoru inhaled and took another large sip of his coffee. He had thought he was getting used to being tired, but apparently his system was only able to go for so long without much sleep. Now it was beginning to catch up with him.

Setting the cup back down, he picked up his pen again. But his mind was no clearer as he tried for the seventh time to sort out the problem. He was really going to have to do something about the Dark Kingdom sending out all its youmas in the dead of night.

Mamoru glanced over his shoulder curiously. The silence behind him was too profound to be ignored—it worried him a little, actually. But when he saw the two odangoes resting motionless on the countertop, he really began to worry. He left his seat and bent over hers, listening for breathing.

Yep, he could hear the air flowing gently into and out of her lungs. He sighed in relief, and he wondered briefly what it would be like to press his lips over hers and take it away. Then he shook his head to clear those thoughts.

"Odango?" He tapped her shoulder. Nothing.

"Odango." He nudged her slightly.

"Odango!" He shook her a bit harder.

"Nani?" Usagi groaned slightly and turned her head an inch to the side on the table to squint at Mamoru from behind her long eyelashes.

"Tuxedo Kamen-sama?" Mamoru jumped slightly in his chair, and then, upon studying the girl, smirked. Her eyelids had fluttered closed again. Of course Odango would talk in her sleep to superheroes. He laughed. She did have quite the imagination.

And then Mamoru had a brilliant idea. He cleared his throat and leaned over so his mouth could hover over her exposed ear.

"Hai?" Usagi smiled peacefully and squirmed beneath his tickling warm breath.

"C-Can I really keep it?" Her voice trembled with nervous excitement.

Mamoru's eyebrows furrowed curiously and he leaned in closer.

"Keep…what?" he replied silkily, making Usagi shiver in delight. Mamoru laughed quietly in satisfaction, but Usagi's whisper cut him off.

"The locket."


	24. Animal Crackers

**Animal Crackers**

"Supreme Thunder!"

"Bubble Spray!"

"Fire Soul!"

"Wait! Oh, no! Sailor Moon, watch out!"

Sailor Moon did a somersault and just barely managed to avoid the onslaught of a particularly nasty youma's goo.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

"Odango," Mamoru looked up from his book over the edge of his glasses and quirked an eyebrow, "just what exactly are you doing?"

Usagi grinned.

"_I'm_ not doing anything. The Sailor Senshi are saving the world, so if you would excuse me, I need to get back to help them."

"They're _animal crackers_, Odango, they don't need your help."

"If you only knew," Usagi grumbled.

"Sorry?"

"Ohh, why do you always have to ruin my fun?! So what if I'm playing with my food? At least I'm not reading—what's that…?" Usagi leaned over, squinting at the front of Mamoru's large tome. " 'Pusheechol—' "

"It's pronounced 'psychology', Odango."

"Whatever. It looks boring."

"Every book on this earth looks boring to you."

"Which is why," Usagi turned back to the miniature senshi in her fingers with a smile, "I find this _much_ more entertaining."

Mamoru rolled his eyes, rising and gathering his books to leave.

"Hey" he said suddenly, and he leaned over her cookies curiously, "where's Tuxedo Kamen?" Usagi looked up and furrowed her eyebrows in response.

"I dunno. There isn't one. I guess it got left out of this box or something. Oh well, I—"

"But how can Sailor Moon possibly be expected to defeat the youma without him?"

"What? I dunno, she'll be okay though, she's—"

"But he has to be there to protect her—"

"Well, she's gotten more coordinated now that—"

"But what if she doesn't see the youma aiming at her, or she gets too close, or she can't get a spare second to finish—"

"Arrgh! Fine!" Usagi said, irritated with all his interruptions, "YOU can be Tuxedo Kamen-sama, okay?"

"Okay."

Usagi barely even had time to look confused before Mamoru snatched the little cookie-youma from Usagi's fingers and, to her consternation, bit off its head.

"Oh well, looks like Tuxedo Kamen finished that one off rather quick. Ja!"

And he walked out, munching happily and laughing to himself as the doors slid shut behind him.


	25. Red Roses

**Red Roses**

"Youmas suck." Usagi said miserably as she sat down, dropping her school bag onto the counter.

"Definitely," muttered Mamoru, while nursing his right shoulder, lost in thought. Then he came to his senses.

"What do _you_, of all people, Odango Atama, know about youmas?"

"More than I'd like to," Usagi growled under her breath to herself, her mouth composed in a sneer.

"Sorry?"

Usagi's eyes grew wide, and she immediately searched about the room to divert them from Mamoru's gaze.

"Well, it was at my school, you see, and I—I… uhh…um….lost my lunch in the fight! That's right, err…the stupid youma came during lunch hour and totally destroyed the cafeteria—and…and it ruined my favorite part of the day!"

"Other than arguing with me, of course." Usagi scowled.

"Anyway, that's why I hate youmas."

"Oh, I dunno," Mamoru said, gazing outside, "I kind of like youmas."

"Why the heck would _anyone_ like youmas??"

"Well, they give Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon opportunities to see each other." Usagi was taken aback. "Otherwise, Tuxedo Kamen wouldn't have the chance to give her roses all the time." Fortunately for Usagi, Mamoru was still staring into space and didn't see the pink appear in her cheeks. Shaking her head to clear its thoughts, Usagi gripped her bag tighter in her hands and replied,

"What would _you_, of all people, Mamoru-baka, know about Tuxedo Kamen, anyway?"

"More than I'd like to."


End file.
